I slipped out of the sparring room and found the hall empty.

Good. Hopefully, nobody else is here.

After I slinked up the stairs and found the connecting rooms devoid of life, I straightened and turned towards the front door.

Damn.

Anastasia and Nathan waved their fingers and smiled.

"Heading out?" Anastasia asked.

"Master? New people, delicious thoughts!" Galarion cut in.

I felt him shift in my head and activate one of his skills. The smiles from the duo dropped and the room became a warzone of hot and cold.

"Cut it out! Now!"

Galarion froze and then shrunk down. Confusion bled through the link as well as fear. I retracted my anger and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"M-master?"

"Do not, and I mean it: take things from others without permission. It's different if we're fighting things or they are an enemy, but this isn't the case, and I know you're smart enough to know that."

Galarion shrunk even further, becoming a tiny marble in my mind.

I felt bad, but I couldn't ease up. This was too important to let him scrape by without understanding.

"Listen, I promised to feed you, and I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, but this is important. Mental skills are received poorly here. And I trust you; you’re my amazing familiar, but we have to be careful. Stealing people's thoughts is something that could land me in a lot of trouble, okay? Do we want that?"

"No..." Galarion whispered.

"Good," I said, easing up the pressure. "How about you come out and say hello? They are super cool people, maybe a little weird, but I'm sure you'll like them."

He kept himself small, but he sent a mental head-nod, and I smiled. Now, all I had to do was explain to the frowning tier threes why they had just been attacked.

"Cyrus," Anastasia said, her voice calm yet cold.

I sighed and held up a hand. "Listen, it's my new familiar. He's a little excited and it's kind of hard to adjust to morals and rules. Cut him some slack, and he wants to say hello, but not with those frowns. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry. If you want me to make it up to you, I will."

They looked at each other, their blindfolds meeting. With shrugs, they turned back and grinned. The eddies of mana that had surrounded the hallway receded, and everything felt normal once more.

Well, as long as they don't freak out over Galarion.

"Galarion. Come say hi."

The Lightcrests leaned forward, their teeth literally blinding as Anastasia made them shine. That smile cracked as Galarion oozed out my forehead.

Nathan's jaw dropped, and Anastasia cocked her head. Galarion morphed himself into a cute chibi squid and slipped into my palm, where he clutched my fingers. He raised three tentacles and waved.

"Master, they are broken," he whispered.

"So uh, meet Galarion! Don't ask me how I contracted him. I still don't fully remember," I said.

"Cyrus, that's-" Nathan began.

"An astral spirit!" Anastasia finished.

I blinked. "You can tell? How do you know?"

Nathan straightened up, his smile not returning. "Once you taste the mana, it becomes very recognizable. It carries a disorientating numbness that needles your thoughts."

Wait. Like static?

"Huh."

"Cyrus, if he's from the astral, that means you went to the astral plane. Do we need a mind healer?" Anastasia asked as she came within licking distance.

Galarion stayed stock still, nervousness and curiosity bleeding through. Even he understood that the couple were powerful enough to erase him.

"I am okay," I said slowly. It wasn't a lie, nor was it completely honest. But I had already fed Galarion the worst of my anxieties, so I was fine. "The visit to the plane itself was okay. I... Well, if I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure what happened. There was some mind-breaking shit, and a pasta god who asked me questions and fed me food. But as I said. I'm fine."

"Riiiiight," they both said.

Anastasia turned to Galarion and extended a finger.

"Master?"

I nodded. "Go on."

Galarion wrapped two tentacles around hers and a wave of excitement flooded into my thoughts. Anastasia retracted her finger and smiled.

"Oh, that's surprisingly nice. Been trying to forget the memory for ages. Dear, we can finally forget Rekka's Playpen!"

Nathan rushed forward and spun his wife away where she became a living top that bounced around the hallway. He jabbed his finger out, and Galarion eagerly slapped his tentacles onto his digit.

After another round of contentment, Nathan pulled back with a silly grin.

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"Oh that is lovely. Thank you, Cyrus. Thank you, Galarion. We can finally sleep easier now."

I wasn't sure what they meant, but Galarion seemed almost lethargic. His tentacles flashed in a myriad of colors like a strobe light. As he sluggishly sent over thoughts of eating, he became a jelly puddle in my palm.

"Galarion?" I asked as I poked the jelly.

It jiggled, and he raised his head and slowly bobbed.

"So full. So good... Want more."

Aaaand he's back.

I raised him to my skull and he dripped down and slid to the back of my neck. His tentacles wrapped around my ears, and he squished himself inside my head.

"Thank you, I think?" I chuckled.

They both shook their heads.

"No, thank you. We've suffered through many things as adventurers, some experiences worse than others. Thank you," Nathan explained.

"Wait. You offered a mind healer earlier? One, that's a thing? Two, why not use them?"

Anastasia cleared her throat. She paused as if expecting something, but when she smiled, Nathan matched hers. "Mind healers are not that well developed here in Solunaria. For good reason, considering the laws regarding mental skills. And that particular memory was too heavily baked into our psyche. Thankfully, astral-mana is more than just mental. Galarion sucked the memory in without fracturing our minds."

That was an interesting tidbit. I shouldn't have been too surprised the world had mind healers, It made sense, all things considered.

I wonder if they have extensive study requirements or if they can rely solely on their skills.

I cleared my thoughts and stretched. "You guys are okay with my new skill? It won't be a problem?"

Nathan crossed his arms. "No. We've seen the horrors a mental user can inflict, just as you have in Helio. But we also know it can be used for good. Ah, I do suggest you keep it close to your chest."

"And make sure Galarion doesn't violate any of the laws. I understand something from the Astral is hard to predict, but don't become a monster, Cyrus," Anastasia added.

"I promise I won't," I said. My back cracked, and I exhaled. "Last question, were you guys waiting for me? Was there something you wanted?"

"Yes, actually. It was pretty obvious you were having a hard time. The world sucks and sometimes you need a moment to relax after an adventure. Trust us, we know."

Nathan placed a hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed. "We thought, why not take you somewhere nice and see if we can help?"

Anger flared, but I punted it further into the back of my mind. Galarion stirred, and he reached a comforting tentacle across my brain.

It wasn't bad, but uncomfortable.

"Look. I-" I began but stopped when something entered my thoughts.

"Galarion?" I asked.

"I help. They tell truth, not lies. Good people, trust them!" he answered.

From the looks on their faces, they felt something was up but they didn't react like before. It was an influx of information, like a gut feeling of knowledge that dripped through and slid into place.

I knew instinctively that the Lightcrests could have prevented Galarion's skill if they wanted to. I also knew that Galarion could tell me more but he was being polite and only sent me the surface emotions.

Worry, concern, hopefulness and contentment. Those thoughts entered my mind and I knew they were Teddy's parents' true feelings.

Ugh. Fine. Don't be an ass Cyrus. They are trying to be helpful.

"Okay," I ground out. "You're right. I could use the distraction. What exactly did you have in mind?"

An explosion of fireworks filled the hall and I covered my eyes as the final orb that floated up became a supernova of lights.

"Perfect! You won't regret this!" they exclaimed together.

------------

I hid a groan of pleasure as the spoonful of pudding melted in my mouth. It coated my tongue and sent waves of ice down my throat before finally settling in my stomach.

As I tried to scoop another bite, I hit the bottom of the bowl and frowned.

Nooooo!

Nathan nudged me from the side and I turned to see his goofy grin fill my sight. He looked down with his eyes, and I followed only to find the empty bowl had been replaced with another towering stack of pudding flavors jiggling in the breeze.

"Oh. Fuck yeah," I cheered.

I kicked my legs free and stared across the city. Anastasia flew through the air like an angry comet while Zharia and Sturmrorex chased her across the sky.

We weren't alone, as the living light show and chibi spirits drew in crowds of people. Kids cheered and pretended to follow along the cliff, their parents chatting amongst themselves. Nobody knew where the spirits came from, and Anastasia drew most of the attention to her, making me forgettable as Nathan easily dwarfed me.

Thankfully, Galarion was still half-sleeping as he processed whatever memory Teddy's parents gave him. I felt snippets of his thoughts, and the amount of pain and misery that slipped through made me stay far away.

All in all, the outing was exactly what I needed. The pair enjoyed life and made their joy infectious. Even if I wanted to stay a reclusive grump throughout the day, I couldn't have if I tried—not without difficulty.

Foods, drinks, new sights of the city;, there was a lot to explore. We watched two plays, listened to world-class music in a garden and even went swimming in the sky.

Nathan listened to my idea of a surfboard and quickly commissioned a gruff carpenter who knew them to make three. The joy of surfing in the sky atop a floating wave of water? Pure fun.

And now? I drowned myself in pudding while my familiars played. Magnus lifted his head from my lap and chomped one of the bottom slabs before burying his head underneath my jacket.

"So? Did we deliver or what?" Nathan teased.

I laughed and stuck another spoonful of pudding that tasted like torta caprese.

"Definitely."

He nodded. "Good, good. There are two things I want to talk to you about before we head back. One involves something that can wait once Ana is done. The other is something we thought of after meeting Galarion."

It was slightly concerning how quickly his tone changed, but he didn't sound too serious. And they earned my trust tenfold after today.

"What about?"

He tapped his head and then pointed to the smiling faces of the people around us. "People are happy, and it's a good thing. These people are probably the happiest folks around. There’s nothing too crazy in their lives. Know what I mean?"

I swallowed another spoonful and lowered the bowl so Magnus could enjoy it as well. "Kinda. I think."

"Well, people like us don't get to experience the world the same way a civilian does. I won't discredit people's lives; they could easily face more hardship than you and I ever would, but that's unlikely."

"Makes sense, but where are you going with this?"

"We mentioned the mind healers earlier. In truth, there are far too few of them. Many of their skills are slow-going and take time to process. And when you have several hundred adventurers? Thousands even, in a city this big? It's an impossible and sometimes thankless task."

"Are you saying you want me to help out? Don't get me wrong. I'd be a hypocrite if I thought it wrong to take away memories and thoughts. Galarion already fed on some of my earlier anxieties. But back on-'' I said before stopping myself. "Back where I'm from. We learned that you need to process your emotions, and we had an entire profession dedicated to that. Therapists, psychologists, and the like. Are you sure offering to wholesale take away their experiences is a good thing?"

Throughout it all, he continued to nod, his expression neutral. He tracked his wife somersaulting through the air while she casually dodged my familiars.

They nearly crashed into each other.

Thankfully, before they could bicker and start fighting, Anastasia dashed, grabbed them and tossed them in different directions. The chase restarted, and they once more worked together to cut off her escape.

"Generally, I think you're correct. But some memories... well, they can cripple you. And you don't have to take just memories, correct? You could siphon away some of the emotions, the intensity. Help a person process it easier. This isn't just for altruism. A new skill needs practice, and you can kill two waldraks with one arrow."

I didn't answer right away. Nathan didn't push, and I relaxed further, enjoying the experience. Eventually, Anastasia started to slow, and she let herself be caught before snagging both of my familiars in a hug and brought them high into the sky.

"Master. Can we have mana?!" Zharia chirped.

"Master. Let us wow these subjects!" Sturmrorex chimed in.

I laughed, a full belly rumble that drew some eyes my way. Nathan smirked but kept his attention upward.

"You know what? Sure. I'm game to try," I answered Nathan while my familiars eagerly awaited an answer.

Sturmrorex spun in a loop while Zharia blazed with golden flames.

"Take all you need, guys. Give 'em a good show!"